Genre: Fantasy
Series: The Chronicles of Ludwich #2
Published: Angry Robot, December 2024
My Rating: 3.75/5 stars
After the surprising, original and gritty-yet-endearing delight of Gogmagog, I was eagerly anticipating the conclusion to this duology. I didn’t have to wait too long as the sequel was on its way within the same year. (Thank you Angry Robot, other publishers: take note!)
Ludlula is an easy recommendation for fans of the first book; it continues the story of our ragtag cast of not-quite-human characters, traversing a steampunk-esque city on the banks of a river that happens to be the ghost of a long dead dragon. Trust me, if you’ve read book 1, you’ll know this insanity actually works!
Ludlula pulls you in with the same charm, (slightly crude) humor and fantastic worldbuilding that book 1 did. It also expands the world in a satisfying way that, too be fair, I didn’t see coming. Many readers wondered if the city of Ludwich from was set somewhere in our world (perhaps a far future or past) or some parallel world of the authors imagining: Ludlula actually sheds light on that question!
Where Gogmagog and Ludlula differed a little, is in their tone and stakes. As you’d expect for a sequel: stakes rise and Cady’s mission is lifted from a personal one, to a quest for the future of Ludwich. Despite that, the pacing feels a little slower than in Gogmagog. Admittedly, my critique of Gogmagog was that it moved too fast for its own good, but still: this felt counterintuitive.
With its raised stakes also comes a more serious tone. This is no longer just a strange river-cruise; it’s a world-hopping, city-saving adventure that ends with a proper dragon-battle in the sky (although very much in the tone of this novel, so clearly not quite the way you’re used to in your typical fantasy-novel). Strangely enough, it took me a while to decide how I felt about that tonal switch, since the characters and writing style so perfectly matched the more low-stakes-river-galivanting of the first.
Overall, despite their opposites, like dual-dragonspirits Faynr and Gogmagog; these books complement each other and make for a fantastic duology. With stunning worldbuilding, a memorable cast and a plot that delivers without outstaying its welcome; Ludlula cemented my liking for this duology. Perfect for fans of Jeff VanderMeer, Terry Pratchett or Neil Gaiman, or fantasy-readers in the mood for an urban fantasy that is just a little different.
I went between the audiobook and the physical text for my reading of both these novels and have to say I really recommend the audiobook. The narrator gives a lot of character to each voice, without overdoing it, and his performance really adds to the atmosphere of the story.
Many thanks to Angry Robot for providing me with an e-ARC ánd and audio-ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
You can find this series here on Goodreads.
Comments